Hillsdale’s Last Dirt Roads
[Published in the Columbia Paper on January 29, 2026]
To the Editor:
Once again, Hillsdale’s elected officials are moving to make permanent changes to our town’s rural character without an adequate public process or transparent, accurate financial information. The Town [Supervisor Dvorchak and Superintendent Briggs] has stated its goal of paving every remaining dirt road in Hillsdale. This would fundamentally alter the town’s rural and agricultural character and eliminate safe, low-speed spaces that residents and visitors use for walking, cycling, birding, horseback riding, and simply enjoying the natural countryside.
The four dirt roads slated for paving in 2026 are all lightly traveled:
Lockwood Road(between West End and Texas Hill Roads), which would bisect Pym Farm’s pastures
Pumpkin Hill Road, which would bisect a new horse farm
Willowbrook Lane, a short dead-end off Mitchell Street [Skarship Farm]
Syre Lane, a dead-end off Overlook Road
Last year, despite overwhelming opposition from residents, the Town paved Texas Hill Road. The financial justification (and premise of the “gift committee”) relied on a deeply flawed assumption: that dirt roads require full re-graveling from end to end every single year. This premise dramatically inflated project maintenance costs and created illusory “savings” for taxpayers. In reality, well-maintained dirt roads typically require targeted repairs (as do paved roads) not annual, costly regraveling.
At the January 13 Town Board meeting, residents who happened to learn of the Highway Department’s paving plans, spoke out in opposition. Fortunately, at the suggestion of Council member Carano Nordenström, and with two new Council members seated, the Board agreed to postpone approval so residents on the affected roads could at least be informed of the significant changes proposed for their homes and properties.
But notification is not enough.
Decisions of this magnitude require a formal Public Hearing and a transparent discussion of the true costs——financial, environmental, and social——of paving versus maintaining dirt roads.
I ask you, Will the day Hillsdale paves its last dirt road be a moment of pride for our Town? I think not. Paving our last dirt road should not be mistaken for progress, instead it would make a permanent erasure of a defining part of our Town’s character.
I urge residents to contact their elected Hillsdale officials and to attend the next Town Board meeting on February 10 at 7:00 P.M. to voice their concerns and ask for a full public process before irreversible paving continues.
Amy Davidsen, Hillsdale